The Facts
Columbia University has deactivated the ID card of Shai Davidai — an Israeli-American assistant professor at Columbia Business School — and banned him from entering the main campus.
Davidai, a vocal supporter of Columbia's Jewish community after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, had planned to hold a pro-Jewish "peaceful sit-in" near a pro-Palestine encampment at the Ivy League college's lawn on Monday.
The Spin
Davidai has been punished for calling out Columbia University for its refusal to sanction pro-terror organizations, its support of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel student protests, and its failure to address rampant antisemitism on campus. Stopping a professor from organizing a counter-protest in support of Israel in an Ivy League school — which allows pro-Hamas protesters to construct a tent city inside its boundaries — is a clear act of discriminatory and unlawful retaliation.
Davidai isn't banned from Columbia University but barred from accessing certain areas because of his own safety. By using social media to target, harass, and bully students for their political views over the past few months, he violated university policies, abused his power as a faculty member, and posed a significant threat to the Columbia community. Davidai was rightly turned away as he is hell-bent on exploiting and amplifying the tensions post-Oct. 7 to pursue a vile agenda.
It's disturbing to witness elite American universities grapple with how to balance ensuring freedom of speech while keeping campuses safe for students and professors. We need a reset as these institutions are responsible for forming the minds of the country's next generation of leaders, yet they're steering towards propaganda, hatred, and violence.
Universities in the US stand for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Taking a stand against against Israel's slaughter in Gaza isn't antisemitism, anti-America, hate speech, or propaganda. It's about inviting debate, not suppressing it. Columbia University must protect peaceful, free expression instead of surrendering to intimidation.
